similar to the light rail thread of the same name, i figured it would be interesting to keep a watch on cordish's projects in other cities. if this should be in the out of town section, please move it there.

i came across a new proposal for development around the 4th street live project in louisville (which i visited last year). it would increase the size of 4th street live and make it less of an island.

The block involved is bounded by Second, Third and Liberty streets and Muhammad Ali Boulevard and will eventually include a 20-plus-story tower -- probably primarily condominiums.

The block also will include a cinema complex, hotel, office space, retailing, restaurants, nightclubs and other entertainment.

Cordish's new cost estimates are included in documents that will be reviewed today in Frankfort by the state commission considering approval of a "tax-increment financing" district for the project.

Besides the work to be done on the water company block, Cordish's plans call for a major renovation of the old Louisville Gardens into a performance and sports venue and a new parking garage on the southwest corner of Third Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard.

there are other projects underway in st. louis and san francisco, as well as cordish's recent move to create a casino management division. since they will be a major player here, i think it's a good idea to compare/contrast and see how they're doing in other metros.

The Cordish Co. has joined forces with the San Francisco Giants baseball team in a bid to develop a 13.6-acre parking lot across the street from the team's stadium, AT&T Park.

While the concept is in the early stages, and other development teams are still coalescing, the Cordish-Giants group will be a clear front-runner in the competition to take on the prime port-owned waterfront parcel.

Trump Resorts reportedly had been in talks with Baltimore real estate developer the Cordish Co., but those negotiations fell through last week when Cordish's financial backer, Goldman, Sachs & Co., balked, according to The Star-Ledger.

Cordish is no stranger to Atlantic City; it recently developed the Atlantic City Outlets across from Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino. Cordish also is no stranger to the gaming industry; it recently partnered with former Atlantic City casino executive Dennis Gomes to develop a $200 million casino at the Indiana Downs racetrack outside of Indianapolis, and it helped the Seminole tribe of Florida build the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Rosemont Mayor Bradley Stephens later this month will travel to Baltimore to meet with a multibillion-dollar development company about adding to the village's entertainment district.

Stephens will meet with Baltimore-based The Cordish Co. and tour one of its projects: a 300,000-square-foot retail and entertainment development that incorporates a row of nearly century-old brick townhouses in Baltimore.

Rosemont welcomed a multiscreen, deluxe movie theater last fall, marking the first addition to its entertainment district.

Last August, plans for a $100 million water park resort around the site formerly pitched as a casino location unraveled about a year after being announced.

Rosemont is trying to reverse that loss with a new plan to accentuate its entertainment district off Balmoral Avenue just west of River Road off the Tri-State Tollway.

A multimillion-dollar entertainment complex could be developed in South Philadelphia, according to an official with Comcast-Spectacor and Philadelphia politicians who have been briefed by the company - and that could lead to the demolition of the Wachovia Spectrum.

The Baltimore-based Cordish Co., a real-estate-development firm, has offered several plans to Comcast-Spectacor, as first reported in yesterday's Delaware County Daily Times.

According to the Times report, the most attractive proposal would result in a complex called "Philly Live!" that would include retail shops and possibly features such as condominiums, restaurants, small music venues and a movie theater.

Peter Luukko, president and chief operating officer, said Comcast-Spectacor acquired development rights when it reached agreement with the city to build what is now the Wachovia Center, which opened as the CoreStates Center in 1996.

When the arena was being built, the original plans included what was called "The Connector," which would have connected shops, restaurants and so forth between the two arenas.

City leaders are short-listing three developers who want a chance to turn the long-vacant Dome site into an entertainment district two blocks from the beach.

Representatives from the three companies will be interviewed in the next month. One company could then be chosen for six months of exclusive negotiations with the Virginia Beach Development Authority.

The chosen developers are:

- A partnership of Armada Hoffler, Bruce Smith Enterprise and The Cordish Co . Armada Hoffler is the company that built Virginia Beach’s Town Center and has worked before with Bruce Smith, a former NFL star turned developer. Cordish is a Baltimore company that redeveloped part of that city’s Inner Harbor. The group would develop multiple live music venues, restaurants, shopping and a roughly 1,200-space parking garage, according to a copy of its proposal.

- Leisure and Recreation Concepts Inc., a Dallas company that specializes in theme parks, water parks and tourism development. Michael Jenkins, the company’s president, did not return calls for comment. He said last month that he wouldn’t develop a theme park here but would focus on a mixed-use district of restaurants, shopping and, possibly, a “moving theater” showcasing the past, present and future of Virginia.

- Wave House Extreme Times LLC, a Beach-based group that proposed an extreme-sports complex called VB X Park. It would include a 75,000-square-foot wave pool, a 10-screen movie theater, conference space, restaurants and retail shopping. There would also be an indoor wind tunnel for “sky diving” that could be used by tourists, locals or military personnel in training.

For the first time, both development partners in the $387 million Ballpark Village are saying it's unlikely that a significant portion of the project will be completed in time for the All-Star Game in July 2009.

"We will open as much as possible. It's tough to say that we will hit that day exactly to have a significant portion of retail open," Martin said. "Our first concern is to have the best project possible."

They're saying the delay is due to changing plans after landing Centene, who is moving from Clayton after their ugly eminent domain suit fell through.

From all indications, Niagara Falls will soon lose two attractions that have been part of its tourism industry efforts to encourage visitors to extend their stay: the Flight of the Angels (the balloon), which was anchored at Rainbow Boulevard and the West Mall, and the Niagara Aerospace Museum, apparently destined for Buffalo.

Also, officials of the Baltimore-based Cordish Co. did not return a reporter’s calls seeking general information about the balloon operators plans. Cordish controls the property where the balloon concession is based, according to the records at City Hall.

As reported by the Press of Atlantic City: "A former Atlantic City gaming executive who was unsuccessful in attempts to buy Donald Trump's casino company last year has teamed with real estate developer Cordish Co. to make a bid for Tropicana Casino and Resort.

"Dennis Gomes, who served as Tropicana's chief executive when the Boardwalk casino was formerly owned by Aztar Corp., is partners with Baltimore-based Cordish in Cordish Gaming Management. The amount of their bid was not divulged.

just got back from STL and people are melting down over the latest news on BallPark Village. Centene would have been to BV what H & R Block was to P&L:

The very thing that made Clayton-based Centene Corp.'s decision to move downtown a big deal may have proved to be its undoing: the project's size.

In September, the city touted the $250 million development as "historic" and the biggest corporate headquarters relocation to downtown in 50 years. But the devil proved to be in the details of adding a large new component to the already complex $387 million Ballpark Village.

The negotiations appear to have been a struggle from the start, and ended with the city and co-developers blaming each other, and Centene staying relatively silent, as it had throughout.

On Wednesday, the Clayton-based health care company issued a short statement that said in part, "Ballpark Village was unable to accommodate Centene's plans for our world headquarters, which we deeply regret and are disappointed to announce." Centene had planned to acquire two blocks within the six-block Ballpark Village at the site of the old Busch Stadium. Besides its headquarters, Centene proposed office and retail space for tenants, along with 1,750 parking spaces.

Publicly, the co-developers — the Cardinals and Baltimore-based Cordish Co. — put on a united front with the city. Behind the scenes, however, major conflicts flared and were never resolved. The two sides could not hammer out a development agreement spelling out the timeline of the project, its precise components and how it would fit in with Ballpark Village.

"We were reasonably close to an agreement with Centene, but we never got to the finish line," said Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III.